Supported Housing Fire & Co Safety Solutions from Aico

Supported Housing is a term used to describe residential solutions for vulnerable people to maintain their dignity, be part of a community and maintain their independence in a safe environment.

This means that their homes may require adaptation to accommodate these needs – that includes the need of being safe from fire or Carbon Monoxide (CO).

Aico, a market leader in smoke and CO alarms, provides a range of solutions designed specifically for people who need extra safety measures to keep them safe in their own home.

Reduce false alarms

For people less able to evacuate their property false alarms can be traumatic, dangerous and, in Supported Housing schemes, is likely to mean time consuming intervention from on and off site staff to assist.

There are a number of ways to reduce false alarms, but top of the list is investing in a quality alarm. All Aico alarms are third party tested and are all tested three times during manufacture, before they are allowed to leave the factory in Ireland.

Ensure the alarms are correctly chosen, sited and fitted. If in doubt, opt for an Ei2110 Multi Sensor which uses both Optical and Heat sensors to interpret fire signals providing a better understanding of what’s really happening in the immediate environment prior to activating the alarm. It provides the best response to all types of fires yet is virtually immune to kitchen fumes and contamination, so makes it the ideal choice for all rooms in a dwelling except a kitchen (where a Heat Alarm is preferred).

Early warning for rapid response

The earlier the warning of a fire or CO leak, the better the chance of escape. For people who are less mobile or less likely to hear an alarm, interconnecting those alarms is essential. If one alarm goes off, it will activate all the other alarms within the system, so can be heard throughout the property.

Of the two methods in which alarms can be interconnected, wireless interconnection using Aico’s RadioLINK reduces the significant disruption and expense that hard-wiring alarms can bring to a property. Carpets and floorboards may need to be pulled up, channels may have to be made in walls to hide cabling or ugly trunking used instead, and redecoration required after an installation of hard-wiring – RadioLINK eliminates these issues.

Adapting a system to different occupants’ needs

The Disability Rights Commission estimates that 11 million people in this country have some form of disability. This may impact on their ability to leave a building speedily in the event of fire or make them entirely dependent on others to escape.
Technical Brief No 5, Housing Learning and Improvement Network

RadioLINK also makes it far simpler to modify an existing alarm system to help meet the changing needs of different occupants, such as adding an alarm for the hearing impaired. You just add an alarm where needed (hard wired to a permanent mains feed) and ‘House Code’ it in with the rest of the system.

House Coding is very simple and is achieved by pressing a button on each unit to put them into ‘House Code’ mode. The units will then automatically code together and ‘learn’ each other’s unique serial numbers. The ‘House Coded’ system can then be sealed to prevent other RadioLINK devices from neighbouring properties from interfering with each other.
Achieving low cost wider alarm coverage

In smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Supported Housing schemes, RadioLINK can be used to provide a complete building-wide system where there is one way communication between the alarms in the communal areas and individual apartments.

The likelihood of sensory impairment increases with age and this may have a detrimental effect on an individual’s awareness of the seriousness of a fire situation until it is too late. A conventional smoke alarm may be inaudible to the hearing impaired, fatally delaying their escape.
‘Ageing Safely, Protecting an Ageing Population from the Risk of Fire in the Home’ by CFOA

The system can be set up so if an alarm is activated in a communal area it triggers the alarms in the individual apartments for increased audibility, but if an alarm is activated in an individual apartment the communal areas won’t be triggered, which minimises false alarms that may cause a building-wide evacuation.

Easy alarm system controls

BS 5839-6:2013 states that alarms can be silenced from floor level; this is particularly important for people with mobility issues. To achieve this Aico has a range of easy to use wall mounted alarm control devices to enable occupants to test, locate or silence alarms from a safe location. These are available for smoke and mixed smoke and CO systems, with the latter providing visual differentiation between fire and CO alarm activation. The Ei450 Alarm Controller is completely wireless, so can be easily positioned into the most accessible place for the user.

Alarms for the hearing impaired

The Ei170RF RadioLINK Alarm for the Hearing Impaired comes with a strobe light that can be wall or surface mounted, and vibrating pad designed to be placed under a pillow to wake people. It can be interconnected with other smoke and CO alarms wirelessly, making it simple to add or remove from a system.

Ei414 fire/CO alarm interface

Telecare/Warden Call Systems are commonplace in dwellings for vulnerable people but in most cases are not connected with the existing Smoke and CO alarm system in that property. If a fire was to start or there was a CO leak, the alarms would activate but external assistance would not be sought; this could be fatal.

Aico’s latest product – the Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface – has been designed to simply and economically overcome this. It provides a dedicated connection between Aico Smoke, Heat and CO alarms with most new and existing Telecare/Warden Call Systems, enabling the appropriate signal to be transmitted directly to that monitoring system should fire or CO be detected.

As the Ei414 is a RadioLINK device and links to Aico’s range of RadioLINK Smoke, Heat and CO alarms wirelessly, it brings all the advantages of a wireless interconnect alarm system.

Visit Aico’s website to find out more